


With The Turn Of A Head

by starlites



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean! Lance, Angst, Bisexual Lance, Bodyguard AU, Fluff, Gay Keith, M/M, Mutual Pining, alfor is angry, altean au!, altean! keith, assassination attempt, keith is a pining mess, keith is blackmailed, slight angst, so is allura, zarkon is a lil bitch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-12 15:09:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11164452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlites/pseuds/starlites
Summary: Keith never expected that a supposedly simple task would result in becoming a royal bodyguard and having to spend everyday with a horribly arrogant (and attractive) prince.•or: keith has to babysit lance after he almost gets shot





	With The Turn Of A Head

**Author's Note:**

> i really enjoyed writing this?!? i hope you all enjoy!

Keith gulped and ran his white gloved hand through his hair. He puffed out a sigh and leaned his head against the pale wall. He hadn’t asked to be assigned to this. He hadn’t asked to have an evil, power hungry Galra threatening to snap his spine if he didn’t complete his orders. Keith pushed himself off of the wall and clenched his fists at his sides as he began to walk.

He hadn’t asked to have to kill the prince.

Frankly, he could understand why Zarkon had chosen Keith to do his dirty work. While he wasn’t the captain of the royal guard, he was still of a good ranking. Skilled with a sword and knife, Keith was very skilled in close range combat, but could shoot a gun if he had to. Keith could also see that Zarkon chose him for his heritage. While he looked like a full Altean, Keith’s great-grandfather had been Galran, and apparently, he was an ally of Zarkon.

Keith cursed under his breath. Of course fate had to line his life up like this. He couldn’t have just been a middle-class Altean shopkeeper who was out of the hands of royal conflict. No, no, he had to be an Altean that was good in combat and was now being forced to assassinate the prince, whom he didn’t even know.

Keith continued to walk through the castle, nodding to other members of the court as he passed them. He folded his hands behind his back and almost flinched as his fingers brushed against the pistol at his side. The pistol was meant for protection, but it looked like Keith wouldn’t be using it for that today.

Keith made his way out of the castle and into the city. He knew the prince enjoyed being on the town, and Keith figured this is where he would be in the middle of the day. Keith’s dark violet eyes darted across the rooftops, looking for one that gave a good view of the city. A part of him hoped that he wouldn’t find something, but another part hoped to stay alive. Ultimately, Keith listened to the latter of the sides and made his way onto the roof of one of the inns.

As he made his way onto the room, he scanned the crowd for any sign of the prince. While Keith was a good soldier, he was smaller than most of the others, but he made up for it with speed and skill. Only the most elite of guards could get near the royals, as they were told it was a safety precaution. How ironic.

Keith looked down at his reflection on the mirrored, frowning at himself. He continued to wallow in his self-pity, until he heard a cry from the streets. “It’s Prince Lance!” It sounded like that of a child, and all at once, the quiet of the city vanished and was replaced with loud conversing on the street below. Keith scanned the crowd until his eyes caught the signature royal light blue hair color in the center of the group. Keith took a shaky breath and slowly reached for the pistol in it’s holster. He held it in his right hand and slowly curled his finger around the trigger. He inhaled deeply, then let it out as he aimed. His finger tightened around the trigger, and he gulped. He could feel his left hand shaking, but he shook his head. He had to do this.

Keith took another deep breath, before he looked back down at the prince. Just staring at the back of his head, Keith would have been fine shooting the back of his head. He couldn’t watch the life leave his eyes or how his face reacted, but fate struck again and the prince turned his head to the side. Keith made an odd noise in his throat and tightened his finger, setting off the gun. The gun blasted almost straight up, and he heard screams rip through the crowd. Keith dropped to the ground and cursed to himself. He shoved the pistol back into it’s holster and made a run for it.

•••

Keith tried to walk casually to his room, and he would say he succeeded for the most part. When he got into his room, he cursed out loud and pulled out the pistol. His hands shook and he dropped the gun to the floor. Keith dug the heel of his boot into the pistol and continued to stomp on it until it was in pieces. His hands shook as he gripped his hair. He couldn’t believe that he almost just murdered someone. Keith pulled his hands and stared at himself in the mirror. Zarkon was going to kick his ass.

**ANNOUNCEMENT. GUARD MEMBER KETHTIAZ REPORT TO THE THRONE ROOM IMMEDIATELY.**

Keith felt the color drain from his already pale face as he was called over the castle’s PA. He was dead meat. He exhaled, wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, and combed his fingers through his hair. Keith looked at himself in the mirror again before folding his hands behind his back and walking towards the throne room in the center of the castle. When he reached the door, the guards seemed to know who he was and opened the door for him. He turned back to look at them, but he saw the door closing in his face. Keith flinched and took in another deep breath. He turned towards the royals and bowed.

He heard the booming voice of King Alfor begin to speak. “Kethtiaz, thank you for coming.” Keith sat up, keeping one arm behind his back and one crossed over his chest. He kept his shoulders back and his gaze in the direction of the royals. “Please, your majesty, call me Keith. And the pleasure is all mine.” Keith took a moment to take in the appearances of the family in front of him.

He had seen King Alfor before, but he had definitely aged since he last saw him. Both Alfor and his children sported the thick, pale blue hair to some degree, unlike the children’s mother. Alfor’s hair was getting long, and he had grown a beard and mustache. He had dark skin and bright blue markings, and he had blue eyes that seemed to fade from shade to shade. He wore a suit similar to that of the yellow paladin with a dark blue cape draped around his shoulders. Alfor had both smile and laugh lines around his mouth and eyes, and his forehead was fairly aged as well. Paired with his hair, it made Alfor look like the wise king that he was.

Alfor’s eldest child and heir to the throne, Allura, mostly took after her father. She had his same dark skin tone and had his blue eyes. However, her eyes had a dash of pink that matched her markings. Allura was draped in a very fancy and stylish dress, and she held a stern expression on her face. Her hair matched her father’s almost exactly, only differing in length. She wore a gold and blue crown that pointed down to the floor on her forehead that seemed to tie together her whole outfit.

Alfor’s youngest, Lance, took after his mother. He was just about as tall as his father, and he had a very lanky body type. His hair was pale blue, wavy, and had dark brown tips at the end, much like the old queen. Lance’s face shape also was like his mother's, much like his skin tone and pretty much everything about him. Lance had blue eyes that seemed to flow from shade to shade, and, like Allura, he had a dash of navy blue in his eyes. His Altean markings, however, were the same bright blue as his father’s. Lance wore clothes very similar to his sister, the only difference being that his clothes were made for a male, that the gold was silver, and that he wore baggy, almost transparent, sleeves that were dusted with glitter. The prince wore a crown that faced the ceiling on his forehead that was silver with a dash of navy blue.

Keith was brought back to reality when he heard Alfor give a chuckle that was very obviously forced. “Thank you, but I think I will stick to Kethtiaz.” Keith nodded and moved the arm over his chest to his back. “That’s understandable, sire.” Keith cleared his throat and lifted his chin. “Your majesty, may I ask why you called me here?” Alfor nodded and a tight smile came upon his face. “Ah, yes. Now, as you may know, my wife was killed by an assassinator a few years ago,” Keith saw the faces of Allura and Lance fall. Alfor seemed to notice this too, but he continued. “When this happened, we managed to catch the suspect. Today, however, we were not as fortunate.” Keith raised a brow. “What do you mean by that, sire? Has something happened?”

Alfor sighed, and Lance seemed to deflate as well. “Yes, actually. Today, my son was shot at. He has sustained no injuries, but we have been unable to find the suspect.” Keith raised his eyebrows in mock surprise and horror. “Why, that’s terrible, your majesty. How may I be of assistance?” The King smiled a real smile this time. “As you know, Allura rarely leaves the castle due to her duties as heir to the throne, but Lance is constantly ‘out and about’ as he likes to call it. I want you to become Lance’s personal bodyguard. You have constantly proven yourself to be worthy of protecting my son.” Keith could feel his jaw drop, and he saw Lance’s do the same out of the corner of his eye. Lance spoke up, his voice strained. “What, father!?”

Alfor turned to the left and glared daggers at his son, and Lance sunk back into his throne. Alfor turned back to the front and smiled at Keith. “I expect for you to move into the room next to Lance’s by this evening. You begin tomorrow.” Alfor sent Keith off with a wave of his hand, and Keith obeyed. As Keith made his way back to his now former room, he cursed to himself. Keith was supposed to kill Lance, but his attempt now had made him the protector of him. Keith grabbed his few belongings and moved him to the room next to Lance’s. Keith made his way out of the room and heard a yelp of surprise as he collided with someone else. He toppled to the ground and looked up, rubbing his forehead.

Keith looked up to meet a pair of blue eyes, who immediately narrowed at the sight of him. Lance quickly pushed himself to his feet, and Keith did the same, bowing before the prince. “Your highness, forgive me. I was simply trying to move into-” Lance curled his lip and cut off Keith with a few words. “I don’t care what my father says, _Kethtiaz_ , this, we, are not going to work. So you just stay behind me and keep me from getting shot.” Keith was taken aback by his comment, but looked at his feet. “Of course, your highness.”

•••

As it turns out, Prince Lance did not hold the same serious façade that his sister seemed to always maintain. Over the week that Keith had been his bodyguard, Lance had gone into town every single day for at least 5 hours. He had gone to the weekly dance festival, and Keith refused to admit that he had fun there. He had been swept into the dance by a few Altean girls and had ended up dancing with Lance for a little while. While Lance had not been particularly friendly, he hadn’t been all out rude either. When they were just in the castle, alone, Lance would occasionally make playful banter with Keith, and Keith would return it to him. All in all, Lance was not as terrible as he seemed.

But, Zarkon did not seem to agree with Keith’s opinion of the prince. “Kethtiaz, your task has not been completed.” Keith gulped as he stared at the back of the black paladin. “Zarkon, you must understand, there was a change of plans! K-King Alfor, he-” Zarkon whirled around and stepped forward to where he was in Keith’s face. Keith gulped. “Do you think I care what that measly king has done? If anything, your position as the prince’s guard should have moved your mission forward!” Zarkon stepped back slightly. “I plan to attack the planet of Altea in 20 quinetents, complete your mission and you will join me in my quest to conquer the universe. However, if you fail, you will go down with the rest of Altea.” Zarkon turned his head and spoke coolly. “I hope that you understand. Leave me and make your decision.” Keith turned and left the room without a word.

Keith breathed out a breath that he had been holding as he entered the hall. If he thought that he hadn’t wanted to kill Lance before, then he was so wrong. Having gotten to known Lance over the past week, he would rather be killed than have to live with killing him for the rest of his life. Keith closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. Keith felt his eyes begin to sting with unshed tears as he remained in his position.

“Kethtiaz! You ready?” Keith turned to the wall quickly and wiped his eyes. He exhaled again before turning to speak. “Ah, yes, your highness. Let us go.” Lance raised one of his eyebrows. “You okay? Your eyes look a little red.” Keith reached up to touch the edge of his eyes. His hands felt dry, and he breathed out a sigh of relief. “Yes, your highness. There must be an illness going around the castle, but I’ll be fine.” Lance’s shoulders relaxed and his lopsided grin rose onto his face. He bounced on his toes and turned. “Let’s go!” Keith felt a small grin spread onto his face as he came to walk a few steps behind the Prince.

Lance stopped suddenly and turned, his smile still on his face. “You know, you don’t have to walk behind me. I understand the whole,” He made quotation marks with his fingers. “‘Bodyguard’ schtick, but you can walk next to me.” Keith felt his grin grow wide enough to almost reach his purple Altean marks and walked forward to meet the prince’s stride.

•••

**15 more quintents**

Keith walked in line with the Prince, a serious expression on his face. Lance was rambling on about some meeting that Allura had just returned from. Keith had found that Lance talked with his hands a lot, and he also found that walking beside him while he talked was a danger within itself. Lance made a large swooping gesture as he finished off his speech, and then turned to Keith for a reaction. Keith looked up at the prince. “Well, I’m sure there’s a reason she gets to go visit a Balmera and you do not, your highness.” Keith raised one of his eyes, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Perhaps your volume would scare the Balmera into extinction.” Lance gasped and raised his hand to his chest in fake horror. “How dare you insult a _Prince_!”  
  
Keith snorted and rolled his eyes. “Forgive me, oh mighty prince.” He bowed in an over dramatic manner and rose with a smile on his face. Lance chuckled and spared a glance upward, before a grin spread across his face. He grabbed Keith’s wrist and began to run towards the town square. Keith let himself be dragged towards the center of the city. As Keith and Lance neared the square, Keith took in how the gold and blue lanterns brought out drastic shadows on Lance’s face. He took in his unnaturally smooth skin and his high cheekbones. He took in the way his eyes lit up as he saw the people dancing, and he took in his pretty and bright smile. Keith tore his gaze away and cursed under his breath. He couldn’t have feelings for the prince, even if he wasn’t supposed to kill him. If a prince and a soldier became something more, countless laws would be broken.

Keith looked up as Lance stopped running and stepped back as the crowds swarmed around him. The crowd, along with Keith, moved into the traditional beginning pose of the dance. There were six circles of people, the lines mixed with men and women alike. The circles grew smaller as they neared the center. The center of the circle consisted of only six people, four women and two men. One of those men was Lance, and while Keith knew it was irresponsible of him, he found himself in the sixth row with the most people. Keith looked to the women on either of his shoulders and then looked back to trace their gazes. He rolled his eyes when he saw Lance shooting fingerguns at the two girls. Keith kept his eyes on the prince, and almost yelped in surprise when Lance shot his pointed fingers at him. He looked down at his feet and groaned as he felt heat creep up his neck. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to meet a woman with lilac markings. She had lines by her eyes and you could tell just by her appearance that she was friendly. She grinned at him. “He’s a very kind boy, you know. He used to come by my shop every day with his mother and buy a juniberry fruit. While he would pay, he would always compliment me.” She looked back to Lance as he laughed with the other man in his circle. She looked back to Keith with expectancy, and Keith gave her a fake smile. “He is very kind.” She nodded and moved back to her spot just as the music began to start.

Keith could here the Altean instruments begin to play a merry tune, and cheers echoed through the crowd. When a high-pitched string instrument began to play, the dancers began to move. Keith hooked arms with the woman to his left. They stepped forward four steps, back two, and then forward three steps. They raised their arms and touched their outer forearms before spinning counterclockwise three times. The groups separated, stomping and clapping to the rhythm five times. Keith moved to the woman on his right and spun clockwise with her thrice. He stomped and clapped again, before moving forward to merge into four rows along with the other men. The women stayed behind, spinning in circles while clapping and stomping. Keith repeated the movements with the women in the second row, only this time spinning and letting the women move towards the middle. The rows came down to two as Keith went over the stepping, spinning, stomping, and more spinning. This round, however, the whole crowd jumped up and let out a joyous cry before merging into one giant circle.

Keith couldn’t help himself from smiling as he spun with the men and women in the large circle. He closed his eyes as he laughed, and almost yelped as he bumped into the chest, which felt masculine. He felt a chuckle and he grinned even wider when he recognized the voice. “Enjoying yourself?” Keith bowed at the prince, a smile toying his lips. “Of course, your highness.” Lance bent down and grinned up at Keith as he extended his arm. “May I have this dance?” Keith nodded and pressed his forearm to Lance’s. The two spun clockwise and counterclockwise, maybe keeping each other as partners for longer than usual. Lance grabbed Keith’s hand and spun him around before pulling the soldier to his chest. Keith felt his heartbeat quicken and his breath catch in his throat as he stared up at Lance. The two sat in the same spot for what felt like decapheebs, before the instruments struck their last note and the crowds began to cheer. Keith pushed against Lance’s chest and gently pried himself from Lance’s arms. Lance watched Keith with wide blue eyes, and Keith kept his soft grin on his face.

“Your highness, would you like to go explore the stands. A shopkeeper told me of how you used to browse them everyday, but you haven’t while I’ve been your bodyguard.” Lance’s eyebrows knit together in an unreadable expression, but he brightened back up again. “Sounds good!” The duo began to walk through the marketplace, stopping at the occasional stand to buy a snack or to just check it out. Lance had stopped at a few jewelry and clothing stores, and Keith had insisted that they stop at at least one knife stand. Lance had agreed, but had just followed Keith around. They had stopped by the friendly juniberry shopkeeper, and she had shot Keith a knowing gaze, which Keith brushed away with a wave of his hand. When the sun had set over the horizon, Keith had begun to guide Lance back to the castle. As the two entered the castle, Keith stepped behind Lance. When Alfor had found the two walking next to each other, he had blown up. He scolded Lance and Keith alike, saying things like ‘You two are not friends! There is a murder plot going on and you are not here to become buddies, you Kethtiaz, are here to save my son’s life.’ Keith had nodded out a ‘Yes, your majesty.’, but he had heard Lance arguing with his father from the next room that night.

When Keith neared Lance’s door, he let Lance turn around and give his standard goodbye. Lance gave him his lopsided grin and spoke. “Thank you. Goodnight, Kethtiaz.” Keith bowed in front of him. “Please, your highness, call me Keith.” He felt a smooth, warm finger under his face, and he tilted his chin upwards. “Well then, _Keith_ , call me Lance.” Lance gave him a two fingered salute as he closed the door, and as Keith lie in bed that night, he couldn’t help the feeling of Lance’s phantom touch on his chin and the flutter of butterflies in his stomach.

•••

**5 more quintents**

Over the past ten days, Keith and Lance’s relationship grew into something that Keith considered as friends, maybe even more. Lance would oftentimes come over to Keith’s room, or Lance would invite Keith into his. Lance would complain about his studies and his dreams, and Keith would talk about the academy and boot camps. Unsurprisingly, Lance usually did most of the talking. Keith also seemed to notice that Lance liked to be touching someone. He often positioned himself so that their thighs would touch or their shoulders would brush when they moved. It often brought heat to Keith’s cheeks, but he brushed it aside for the most part.

So, here the two were, sitting on Lance’s extravagant silver, blue, and purple bed. Keith found himself sinking into the mattress and often had to readjust himself. Keith half-listened to Lance rambling on about his current unit on Altean history and half fiddled with his knife. Lance poked Keith in the shoulder, and Keith looked up to meet his pouting face. He fell onto Keith’s lap and groaned with his face in his hands. Lance threw his hands onto the mattress and groaned again. “Keith,” Lance drew out his name, and Keith snickered. “I’m so bored!” Keith raised a brow and pushed Lance off of him. Lance let out a cry as his head hit the bed, and Keith grinned. Lance sat up with messy hair and gawked at Keith, in which Keith responded by crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, Lance, if you finish your studies, I will take you to do whatever you want to do. But I will review your work first.”

Lance groaned again, but sat up and pulled his hologram tablet onto his lap. His eyes lit up quickly, and he looked at Keith with a giddy expression before turning back to his work. Keith raised a thick brow and waited as Lance finished. He pulled the tablet closer and studied Lance’s work. He let out a small noise of satisfaction and turned off the hologram. Lance looked to him with a confused expression. “You know,” Keith began. “You’re very smart, if you just tried to work more than you could be out of your tutoring in a snap.” Lance’s chest seemed to swell under the praise, but he quickly threw his things aside and grabbed Keith’s wrist.

Keith let out a strangled choke of surprise as Lance dragged him towards the areas of the castle that belonged to the guards. Keith gave nods of hello towards the other soldiers as he flew by, almost every one of them chuckling at the Prince’s antics. Keith himself couldn’t help the grin that came to his face as Lance went along. Lance started to slow, and Keith tried to catch his breath as Lance came to a full stop in front of a pair of sliding doors. Keith looked to his surroundings and then back to Lance. “You must be joking.” Lance shook his head with a wide smile, and Keith groaned before pulling Lance into the empty training room.

As Lance looked around with excited eyes, Keith stripped the gloves off of his hands and removed the bulky parts of his armor. He quickly laced up a pair of black boots and walked over to Lance in only his base suit, which were tigh fitting white pants and a tight white long sleeved shirt. He picked up a sword off of the racks on the wall and stuck it in his belt. Lance was still looking around in awe as Keith moved behind him and started to undo the prince’s cloak. Lance jumped as Keith’s fingers made contact with his neck. “What the quiznak are you doing?!” Keith shrugged and spoke in his ear. “You can’t expect to be able to train in all of this bulk at first.” He stepped away with the prince’s cape and tried to ignore the visible shudder that went through Lance. Lance began to take off the excess material on his attire. Keith let him work as he went to examine the weapons, contemplating what to do first.

He was running his index and middle finger over a rifle when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Keith turned and saw Lance standing in a short sleeved, still patterned shirt and blue tight fitting pants. Keith’s eyes darted down to Lance’s tapping foot and he looked back up to Lance with a flat expression. “Are you going to train barefoot?” He deadpanned. Lance’s face flushed and he sputtered. “Wha-? No! I need shoes!” Keith’s eyes widened in realization and he nodded before going to grab another pair of boots. As he dug through the pile, he spoke over his shoulder. “What size?” Lance came up behind him and leaned onto Keith’s back. Keith grunted as Lance let his weight fall on him when he grabbed a pair of boots. Lance got off Keith and he drew in a breath as Lance laced up his boots. Keith watched with amusement as Lance stuck his tounge out as he concentrated. Lance seemed to be struggling, so Keith walked over and offered his assistance.

With Lance finally ready to train, Keith grabbed a sword and threw it in his direction. He heard the clatter of metal on the ground and he snorted. “You missed!” Lance cried out behind him, and Keith turned and shook his head. “Nope,” He popped the ‘p.’ “I wasn’t aiming for you. It would have impaled you.” Lance let out a hearty laugh. “It’s a good thing you don’t have to kill me then! Because you would be terrible at it!” Keith froze before laughing half-heartedly. Keith turned on his heel and pulled his sword out of it’s scabbard. He brought his sword up to his face, and he saw Lance copy him with a shaky hand. Both men brought their swords down to their sides, and Keith closed his eyes with a sigh.

He darted forward quickly and knocked the sword out of Lance’s hand with one swift movement. He heard Lance gasp and Keith put his foot on Lance’s stomach and pushed him to the ground. The ravenette put the tip of the blade to the prince’s neck, and Lance watched in awe and a tad bit of fear. Keith stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. He picked up Lance’s sword and tossed it at him again. Lance cried out, and Keith could hear clothes moved along the floor before the sword clattered to the ground.

Keith turned towards Lance as he stood and brushed himself off. Keith ran his finger on the edge of his blade and met Lance’s eyes. “Your reflexes are terrible.” Lance gasped. “Uh, no they aren’t!” Keith moved forward and slapped his hand onto Lance’s chest. Lance didn’t have time to react and he stumbled back. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Maybe I’m just bad at swordfighting!” Keith shrugged. “Probably.” Lance let out an offended gasp, and Keith chuckled. “Alright, then what you like to do?”

The Prince pushed himself off of the floor and tossed Keith his sword. He hung the sword on the rack and almost dropped it when he heard Lance let out a loud gasp. Keith turned quickly. “Lance! What is wrong with you?” He cried out. Lance stood with his back turned to Keith, and he could register that Lance was pulling something off of a rack.

Lance spun on his heel and looked to Keith with a giddy grin plastered on his face. Keith’s eyes flitted down to his arms and froze when he saw the weapon in Lance’s hands. He gulped as Lance held it up with one of his eyes squeezed shut and his tongue sticking it out of the corner of his mouth. Lance looked up to Keith with his eyes wide and excited. Keith took in another breath and yelled. “Raise rifle targets.” He tried to ignore the crack in his voice as the targets and stands rose from the floor.

On the stand sat a pistol and a sniper, and Lance rushed over with his rifle. Lance brought the gun up to his shoulder, and Keith moved behind him quickly. “You can’t shoot yet. You need to have the right stance and hold the gun the right way.” Keith put his hands on Lance’s hips, ignoring the heat seeping through Lance’s clothes and the heat rising to his face. Lance stiffened when Keith reached his arm up near his face and adjusted his grip.

Keith turned towards the rack and grabbed a rifle with shaking hands. He moved to the stand on the right of Lance and got into position with his gun. Lance mimicked him, and they both shot in unison. Keith hit the target near the left side, while Lance hit in the dead center. Keith looked to him with wide eyes as Lance blew off the end of his gun and shot Keith a cool smirk. “Huh, guess those fingerguns really paid off,” He finished with a wink, and Keith felt a flutter in his stomach. Lance picked up his sniper gun and shot again, hitting another bullseye. Keith used the sniper as well, and it hit the target a little to the right, closer to the center than before. He saw Lance pick up the rifle again, ignoring the smaller gun on his stand. Keith however, picked up the pistol and held it in his hands. He shot a small look at Lance, then gripped the butt of the pistol with his right hand. He curled his hand around the trigger and took in a breath. He could hear the firing of a rifle on his left, and he took in another deep breath. Keith pulled the trigger.

_Keith almost let out a cry with the rest of the crowd as the bullet collided with the Prince’s temple. The Prince had no time to react before his dead weight dropped to the ground, and the crowd ran off screaming. Keith crouched back to his knees and stared down at the scene below him. The prince had red blood flowing into his soft white hair, and he could see his limbs hanging loosely under him. Keith turned his back and let out a shuddering breath. He had killed someone. He had killed royalty! Keith buried his face in his hands and let out a small, shuddering sob. He had missed it all._

_Keith would never get to see his lopsided smile or his hearty laugh. He wouldn’t get to see how dedicated he got or how he stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth when he concentrated. Keith had missed how his eyes lit up when he talked and how much he cared for his family and his country. He would never know how much Lance began to care about him, and he wouldn’t get to feel how his own stomach did flips and his heart fluttered when Lance even brushed against him. Keith could feel the tears on his cheeks now. Keith had missed how he felt when Lance said his name-_

“Keith!” Keith rushed forward into the speaker’s arms. He let the pistol clatter to the ground and squeezed the prince’s chest. Lance seemed shocked, but he reached up and ran his fingers through Keith’s hair, whispering quiet reassurances into his ear as they sunk to the floor. After Keith’s sobs faded into quiet hiccups, he pushed away from Lance’s chest. He ignored the fact that he was literally sitting in the Prince of Altea’s lap and gave a small, weak smile. “Sorry for getting your shirt wet,” He trailed off and continued to mumble before Lance cupped his face in his hands and turned Keith toward him. Keith’s sentence broke off as Lance stared him down with his hard blue eyes. “Keith, I’m not sure what the quiznak that was, but just know that you are okay.” Keith gave him another weak smile and darted his eyes towards the pistol that lay on the ground. His shoulders must have begun to tremble again, because Lance turned Keith’s head towards him. “Please don’t cry. I can’t stand to see you cry.” Keith’s bottom lip quivered slightly, and Lance’s lips pressed into a fine line before he seemed to make a decision.

Lance cupped Keith’s cheek and he leaned forward, his eyes half-lidded. Keith watched as Lance moved until his lips pressed against the other’s. Keith sat still for a moment, before he closed his own eyes and let himself fall into the kiss. Keith reached up to wrap his hands around the back of Lance’s shoulders, and Lance began to tangle his hands into Keith’s hair. The kiss didn’t go any further than that, and Lance pulled away first, almost reluctantly, with a flushed face and pink lips. Keith probably looked similar, and he grinned at Lance, who immediately returned the favor. Keith almost leaned against Lance, before he heard the clearing of a throat behind him. He didn’t turn, instead staring at Lance with wide eyes. Lance quickly pushed himself to his feet. “Uh, hello, Allura!” Keith stiffened and stood as well, bowing quickly to the Princess. He grabbed his armor and moved towards the door. “Let me get out of your-” Allura grabbed his arm with a surprisingly strong grip and hissed in his ear. “Wait outside the door. You move, and I will fire you.”

Keith gulped and nodded, sliding his armor on in he hallway. Keith fiddled with his hands nervously near his stomach, and he looked up quickly as the door slid open. Lance emerged first, fully clothed in his royal drapes. He scanned the hall, before he gave Keith a sympathetic smile. Keith gave a small smile back, and he could feel his ears heating up. The heat and color flooded from his face, however, when Allura came out, pushed Lance away, and turned to Keith with cold eyes. Keith swallowed as Allura continued to stare him down. He gave a small cough and spoke with a raspy voice. “Your highness?”

In what felt like a millitick, Allura was pinning him against the wall by his wrists and was stabbing him with eye-daggers. Keith sputtered as Allura hissed in his face. “What are your intentions with my brother?” Keith froze and his mind set off warning sirens that chanted _She found out. She found out. She found out._ He gulped again. “Your majesty, I’m s-” Allura leaned closer. “Then what the quiznak were you doing straddling him and sticking your tongue down his throat?” Keith’s jaw dropped and he made a gurgling sound in his throat. “Princess! I wasn’t doing anything with him!” Allura raised one of her pale eyebrows and Keith groaned in defeat. “I will admit that we were kissing, but nothing more, I promise.”

Allura seemed reluctant to let him down, but she did eventually. She dusted off her dress and gave Keith a soft smile. “Even if you aren’t doing anything more, I would not mind if you tried to court my brother. He really cares about you, Kethtiaz.” She turned quickly and began to walk down the hall. Keith stared after her as the click of her heels faded away. He smiled to himself and turned on his heel before heading to his room.

•••

**Less than one quientent**

Keith looked at the pistol that had been brought into his room by one of his fellow guards. They were ‘new and improved’, he had said, and Keith had reluctantly accepted. Now he stared at the weapon and thought of the memories it had given him. A pistol had given him his first kiss. It had given him Lance. Yet, this pistol had almost killed Lance. _Zarkon_ had almost killed Lance. Keith froze.

Zarkon.

Keith counted the days on his hands and shuddered. It was today. Zarkon was going to destroy Altea today. His family, his friends, his species, all gone. His eyes widened. Lance.

Keith quickly grabbed the pistol off of the floor and dashed into the hall. He placed his pale hand on Lance’s door and it slid open. Light flooded into Lance’s room, and Keith ran to his bed, yanking off his blanket and pulling him up by the shoulders. Lance was wearing a dark purple face mask, and he opened his eyes slowly, the sleep still evident on his face. He blinked repeatedly before focusing on the man that was sitting on top of him.

“Keith? What are you doing here?” Keith’s face was hard and his brows furrowed. He grabbed Lance’s wrists and pulled them close to him. “We have to go.” Lance raised a brow, his expression confused. “What? Why-” His sentence was cut off as Keith slammed his lips into Lance’s. Lance’s shoulders relaxed, and Keith wanted to stay. Yet, he pulled away and fixed his stormy eyes on Lance’s ocean ones.

Keith took in a small breath before speaking. “Zarkon is going to attack the castle. We have to go.” Lance’s eyes widened and he scrambled towards his bathroom. Keith could faintly hear his socks skidding on the floor and the running of a sink. With the sound of a closet door slamming shut, Lance emerged from the bathroom. He had a grin on his face, but he still looked scared. Keith swallowed and walked forward, met Lance’s eyes, and pulled him down for another peck on the lips. Lance pulled away before and Keith and smiled.

“Let’s go.”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be 1000 notes but dear lord this took almost 5 days
> 
> thanks for reading! comments and kudos are always appreciated!!


End file.
